By 2040, Tokyo is going to have a new metro line. Expected to cost between ¥420 and ¥510 billion (at today’s unpredictable exchange rate, that’s around US$3.18 billion to US$3.67 billion), the new line, which aims to connect Tokyo Station with Ariake — home of Tokyo Big Sight (one of the largest convention centers in Japan) […]
Architectural Spotlight: Cinema Rossiya in Yerevan, Armenia
Discovering what I would consider to be unusual examples of architecture is a major plot point in how I create itineraries. Whether it’s random geodesic domes and Ferris wheels, religious structures that can’t make up their minds, or tackily-colored eyesores, I have made many a pilgrimage to these types of (subjectively?) zany attractions. To wit, […]
The Wednesday Who of Airport Names: Jacqueline Cochran
In this week’s Wednesday Who of aviation history, we’ll be learning about the name behind Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Coachella Valley, California. Born on 11 May, 1906 in Muscogee, Florida, Bessie Lee Pittman grew up in poverty, and with very little in the way of schooling. At eight years old, her family moved to […]
Guangzhou Circle: Modern Chinese Architecture
I wax nostalgic for taking long walks around Chinese cities, appreciating their overzealous appreciation of geodesic domes, bumper car facilities, and some of the most bizarre ideas ever constructed. Today’s specimen: the 138-meter (just under 453 feet) Guangzhou Circle (广州园大厦), located in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Completed in December 2013 by Milan, Italy-based architect Joseph di […]
Emirates Inaugurates the World’s Largest Vertical Farm in Dubai
Regardless of one’s opinion about the genesis of climate change, the phrase is regularly mentioned in many countries throughout the world. Is it just another expected phase in our planet’s history, or did the industrial revolution lay the groundwork for our mutual destruction? And to what extent are airplanes guilty for any possible environmental crisis? […]
Qatar Airways’ New Flights to its Sixth Saudi Destination
The Oneworld Alliance and Qatar Airways have finally resumed flights to one of Saudi Arabia’s premier holiday resorts. Since 3 January 2023, Taif, Qatar Airways’ sixth destination in the largest of the gulf states, has been reconnected with Doha Hamad International Airport. Although Taif is just over a two hours’ drive from Jeddah, and an […]
WestJet Crossing the Pacific For the First Time in April 2023
Big news from the Canadian travel industry. Starting on 30 April, 2023, WestJet will be crossing the Pacific (TPAC = transpacific) for the first time, connecting Calgary residents and YYC transit passengers on a nonstop flight with the Japanese capital Tokyo. Using its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, WestJet will be connecting Alberta’s largest city to Tokyo Narita Airport […]
Las Cruces, New Mexico Restarting Commercial Air Service
If you’ve got hiking, regional food, and/or amusing place names on your bucket list, I’ve got some good news for you: Las Cruces, New Mexico is restarting commercial flights after nearly 20 years! Starting on Monday, 16 January, Las Cruces International Airport (LRU) will once again be hosting passenger service. In large part due to […]
